I'm a Mascara Snob, But This £13 One Has Become My New Favourite

My name is Eleanor, and I'm a mascara snob. My favourite ever mascara (Hourglass Unlocked Instant Extensions in case you were wondering) comes with a £31 price tag, and some of the other most-loved in my collection are on equal footing, from Merit to Ilia and Lisa Eldridge's amazing formula. I'll hold my hands up: I have expensive taste and when I see luxe beauty packaging, I'm like a moth to a gold-embossed-mascara-tube flame.

But I wasn't always this way. Growing up, I religiously wore cheap and cheerful mascara, often cocktailing a mix from L'Oréal Paris, Rimmel and Maybelline to achieve the flutteriest lashes possible. And after seeing many similarly affordable mascaras take off on TikTok, I've been reminded that these are actually the best around, and even rival the more expensive designer ones out there.

One mascara that has caught my attention is L'Oréal Paris Volume Million Lashes Panorama Mascara. Fronted by Kendall Jenner, it promises to deliver fanned-out length, lift and volume, all for £13. And not only does that affordable price point appease my bank account, but the chic gold tube also ticks the luxe-looking packaging box too.

Scroll ahead for my honest review of L'Oréal Paris Volume Million Lashes Panorama mascara and see if the formula is as promising as it looks from the outside.

L'Oréal Paris Volume Million Lashes Panorama Mascara Review

The L'Oréal Paris Volume Million Lashes Panorama Mascara Brush and Formula

The Panorama mascara features a flexible tapered brush with shorter bristles at the tips that gradually get longer towards the base of the wand. L'Oreal Paris says that the mascara makes eyes look 1.4 times bigger, and this is a claim that really appeals to me. I have small, hooded eyes and like my mascara to provide both length and a fanned-out effect that lifts my long but stubbornly straight lashes. The formula also promises clump-free volume and separated lashes alongside "stretchflex complex", an ingredient that stretches lashes with impressive length. I opted for the classic black shade, but it also comes in brown if you prefer a softer look on fairer eyelashes.

Applying L'Oréal Paris Volume Million Lashes Panorama Mascara

If you have deep-set, hooded or smaller eyes, you'll share my frustration with mascara wands that are just way too big. Thankfully, this isn't an issue with this brush, which you can get in easily at the base of the lashes without knocking your eyelids. The flexible brush easily coats lashes, and even the initial sweep of product delivers jaw-dropping length. Plus, the shape of the bristles means they really do capture every lash to give you a fanned-out, Bambi effect. From the inner to the outer corners, no lash is left untouched. I love this because my lashes are longer at the centre of my lashes and get shorter towards the outer corners, so this mascara helps to build them out for a more balanced fan of lashes.

I like to curl my eyelashes before any mascara application for maximum lift, as my lashes point downwards, but even without curlers you can get a really impressive lift, curl and hold with a couple of coats. I favour a fluttery, more natural finish so I like to stick to one coat, but you can achieve a false-lash effect with two coats and it won't get clumpy. My lashes don't feel weighed down either, and the black formula is jet black. The before-and-after difference below is quite impressive.

Before

After

Is L'Oréal Volume Million Lashes Panorama Mascara Worth It?

I'll be honest: having been wearing this mascara for a few months now, I have experienced some transfer onto my brow bone throughout the day. But, with my combination of oily skin and hooded eyes, it's something I often contend with, as such, this might not effect everyone. The formula stays flake-free throughout the day and it washes off easily. Most importantly, the results are really impressive. If you want a mascara that lengthens, lifts and adds volume with definition, then you can't get much better than this £13 mascara.

Shop L'Oréal Paris's Volume Million Lashes Panorama Mascara:

Shop More High-Street Mascaras: